In the 11-year period of 2005 through 2015, canines killed 360 Americans. Pit bulls contributed to 64% (232) of these deaths. Combined, pit bulls and rottweilers contributed to 76% of the total recorded deaths. | More »

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Details Emerge from InvestigationUPDATE 11/16/08: Details emerging from the investigation indicate an elaborate underground web involving dozens of people, including some from Latin America. Authorities have already seized 187 animals from Harris, Montgomery and Tyler counties connected to the operation. Detailed records kept by those involved should help authorities prosecute the eight people arrested and the 47 other suspects who have been indicted, but not yet arrested.

Records seized from a 2006 Liberty County raid where nearly 300 pit bulls were seized have aided the expanding investigation. "They keep a lot of paperwork -- journals of fights, etc.," said Harris County Pct. 6 Sgt. P. Leone, who works with the Houston Humane Society's Rescuing Animals In Danger Education Resource program. "We've found crates used to ship the dogs internationally, to places like Guatemala and Honduras."

While some dogs seized Friday were in fairly decent condition, dogs seized from other sites were not as fortunate. "It's very obvious that these are not pets," Leon said, adding that the animals are "conditioned" to fight. Leon also pointed out that "size doesn't matter" to high performance fighting dogs. "You would think the bigger, stronger dogs would be the most desirable, but they're not. It's the smaller, more agile ones that are the fighters."

All of the animals seized during the investigation are being held at undisclosed locations for their safety and to prevent the owners from finding them. "They are worth a fair amount of money. Pups go for $350, $400, $500. And those with champion-type bloodlines can go for $1,500 to $3,000," Leone said. They are being cared for by the SPCA, Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services and the Houston Humane Society.

A judge will decide the dogs' fate. Leon thinks many of the dogs will be euthanized. "Some of the dogs may be people friendly, but the question you have to ask yourself is whether or not you'd want your 3-year-old child around the dog," said Leone." Our point exactly.

11/15/08: Fighters and Spectators Caught on Video
Houston, TX - In a dogfighting bust that ought to send Texas dogfighters scurrying for cover, multiple agencies raided an east Houston warehouse after a 15-month undercover operation. "It’s the largest undercover dogfighting operation in the country," said Assistant Harris County D.A. Belinda Smith. "And nothing like this has ever been done in Houston, or in Texas." Arrests are expected for 85 people in multiple counties on over 155 felony charges.

After gaining the trust of key "dogmen," undercover agents set up shop in an east Houston warehouse where they staged dog fights virtually every weekend. All kinds of people showed up for the fights including a school teacher with no criminal history, several individuals from the oil industry and people who’ve been arrested for capital murder, narcotics dealers and bank robbers. Dogfighting participants reaches across all boundaries.

Undercover agents took disturbing video of the dogfights. "What you see is animals bloodied, battered and bruised screaming in pain," Smith said. "Animals that are staggering in the ring. Other animals who are trying to climb out of the ring." Hundreds of dogs are being seized. The fate of the dogs is unknown. The investigation, called Operation Dead Game, was a joint effort between DPS, the USDA and the Harris County District Attorney’s office.

One video shows the Houston Humane Society seizing some of the fighting dogs. It's fair to say these dogs are both highly unsocialized and animal aggressive. It seems unlikely that any will make "safe, suitable pets." Time will only tell what the agencies will to do with these dogs.

The American pit bull breeders are breeding and selling to countries all over the world.

This is huge money, doesn't get taxed thanks to no regulation by our dumb states

and THIS is why they form all these "We Love Pit Bulls" and "Pit Bulls are Great and Love People"and "Anti Pit Bull Racism" groups. They want to keep the cash flowing in with no regulation!

Talk a lot of emotional manipulation and propaganda, and they can get naive reporters and legislators opposing laws and HELPING the pit bull breeders keep breeding and preying on these dogs and cashing in

And hurting the public.

The really sick thing is that HUMANE groups like Best Friends and Bad Rap have gotten sucked in to helping these pit bull breeders and their industry (for reasons that often have to do with financial as well)

Anonymous | 11/17/2008 3:30 PM | FlagIt should be noted that many of the famous gamedog breeders in the US are selling their dogs to people overseas, where dogfighting is legal....they then can game test the dogs, and see how they do in the box. Winning fighting dogs can then be bought back, along with their fighting "pedigree". The dog can then command high prices as a stud dog, because he is a proven winner. Its all legal, and another way the pit bull fanciers get around the law and still make money on fighting dogs.

Anonymous | 11/18/2008 3:16 AM | FlagJust to point out that... in 2007 Congress and President Bush passed a law making it a Federal Felony to traffic fighting dogs accross state lines or internationally.

The Law passed the US Senate unanamously.

Anonymous | 11/19/2008 7:29 AM | FlagThe "disturbing" video has been removed from the newspaper web site. Could it be that people were "disturbed" by the images of these fighting dogs and complained? My spidersense tells me that it was probably the ProPitters that complained and had it removed. Can't show the carnage -- why, it's just too disturbing for little Johnny to see!